


Next Time

by Wikkid



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-26
Updated: 2016-03-26
Packaged: 2018-05-28 22:43:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6348589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wikkid/pseuds/Wikkid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Filling a prompt: "Lucifer takes Chloe on a date without letting her know first." (via lostsassafrass @ tumblr)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Next Time

It wasn't something he'd thought about in terms of subterfuge. He was just... doing something he wanted in a way that he felt could adequately allow him to have it. He'd promised he'd never lie to her, and even if he hadn't made that promise, it wasn't in his nature to lie, no matter what the stories said. Father of Lies his finely toned backside. Now, if she came out and asked him about it, he'd admit it, happily, but Chloe seemed to have learned to take most of what he suggested or did around her with a grain of salt. He was just using that to his advantage. 

So when she had a case she wanted his help with, he'd gotten an idea. If Dan was going to be attempting to sidle back into the space Lucifer felt he'd lost the right to, Lucifer felt he at least deserved some sort of shot. Granted, he'd made his feelings on sleeping with her rather clear from the beginning, but his little chats with Dr. Linda and his time with Chloe herself was showing him that there was more to it than just showing her the goods and assuming she'd sample them. Not that he wouldn't gladly go along with that as well, but he was learning there was a complexity to getting what he wanted in terms of Chloe Decker. It was a bit of a challenge, something he wasn't used to, but something he also found himself looking forward to. He'd agreed to help her with her case, but only on the condition that she meet him at one of the more swank and upscale restaurants in town that evening. He claimed obligations and that he'd made a promise to come by and talk business with the owner. A favor, as it were. Which was the truth. He'd been asked for a favor and had given an ambiguous answer as to when he might feel like coming by. It just so happened that would be tonight. She needn't know that he was guaranteeing himself a cozy table after they talked and he doubted she'd ask. He did mention she'd have to dress appropriately and ensure the spawn was looked after while they 'discussed business'. He was expecting an outright denial, or perhaps a more colorful way to tell him to go enjoy himself in a crass manner, but after a heavy pause, he was pleasantly surprised to hear an exhale and an agreement. Perhaps she needed a night out herself. Perhaps not. It was hard to tell with her.

Regardless of the reason, he set forth a series of events that led to meeting her at said restaurant at their designated time, rising when she arrived to draw out her seat for her and sliding it in when she sat with a smile. He leaned a little closer than she may have liked, speaking softly (for him) and complimenting her choice in outfit. The Detective had gone with something fitted and blue, something likely bought long ago that had been hiding in the recesses of her closet. But it did look good and it would only serve his purpose to point that out. When he sat, the waiter arrived to list the specials and Lucifer waited for Chloe to pick for herself. If he'd learned anything in his time with her, having him order for her would have resulted in a kick under the table from a sharp-pointed shoe. She gave him an assessing look and he gave her an unassuming smile in return. Still suspicious, she ordered, pulling out the files she'd brought while Lucifer ordered.

For her part, Chloe was never entirely certain what was going on with the man who'd wormed his way into her work, her life, and a part of her brain that was always curious about him. About the reality behind the persona he'd affected. Lucifer Morningstar; the man who hadn't existed before five years ago. The man who did things that she couldn't explain. She had eyes, she'd been present for things that no matter how often she looked at it, didn't make sense to her. His ability to... what, hypnotize people? She still hadn't figured that out, but observant as she was, she could tell that some of the things he got people to say seemed to surprise them in the fact that they'd said it at all. Then there was the incredible feats of strength; tossing someone through a window halfway across the room, lifting a larger man up off the floor with a single hand... And that wasn't even taking the ability to just get in and out of places he shouldn't be able to. Something was definitely off with him, but for the most part, he seemed to be harmless. Well, as harmless as a juvenile delinquent in a man's body with the libido of an eighteen year old on ecstasy could be. 

But regardless of the man's intentions, he'd made himself useful. He'd protected her when she'd been unable to herself. Of course, he also managed to get her in trouble as well, either with her superiors or via the people they had to deal with on any given case -- she still hadn't entirely forgiven him for almost getting her in the middle of a gang war, but for the most part, he seemed to not actively wish her harm. If anything, she felt there was something there between them, something she tried very hard to make sure stayed on the side of propriety. She could admit to herself that it wasn't like he was hard on the eyes, and she'd gotten more than an eyeful. The accent added to it as well, but he was... _Lucifer_. He had this childish naivety about him, a way of reacting to not getting his way like he was being told no for the first time ever. If she didn't know better, she'd say it was like watching someone learn how to be human, but like hell she was going to feed into whatever weird psychosis he had about his past. Sure, he was the devil -- and she was born yesterday. 

While she'd been laying out the files, the sommelier came to pour a tasting for the man across from her, Lucifer not even bothering with the pretense of it, just nodding and gesturing for them to be served. The man clearly was a little put out not to be able to put his, in Chloe's opinion, superfluous knowledge on crushed and fermented grapes to use, but Lucifer didn't seem to notice the faint flicker of disapproval before their glasses were half filled, bottle set to the side for later. He leaned in, seeming to give her his utmost attention. 

Which she had, whether she wanted it or not. He looked down at the glossy prints and the papers under them, seeing death yet again splashed in full color, Chloe looking up at him as if waiting for his opinion. For his part, he'd read up a little on 'what women wanted', trying to figure out how to get her to respond to him in a way that was outside of her usual put upon annoyance. "Why homicide? I know, I know, you mentioned dear old daddy and wanting to live up to his sainted memory, but surely there are other ways to do good, as it were, that don't involve decapitated or dismembered bodies. Death is incredibly inglorious, so why not another branch in your illustrious crime fighting brigade?" 

She looked up from her file, brows creasing into a frown as they usually did when she was talking to him and he wasn't being predictable. "Because, Lucifer, not everyone's looking for some kind of glory. I told you, I want to do good. To help people. Sure, the ones I'm standing for can't appreciate it, but... their families can. Not knowing can make a bad situation worse. If I can find who did it, if I can offer justice to the families, it makes it worth it."

It was then that Lucifer remembered that her father had been gunned down, that she'd been one of those that she fought for. It was another little facet of her he filed away for later, another piece of the Chloe puzzle to connect and make sense of the bigger picture. "Right. But your justice system doesn't always punish those that do the deeds, does it." Less a question and more a point of fact. The fact that the human legal system was irreparably flawed wasn't exactly news. It was a fact of life, and it was why he'd stuck his toe in the pool so to speak. He sipped at his wine, waiting for the retort that was likely intended to put him in his place and show him just how little he knew about anything.

It didn't come. Not like he expected. "No, it doesn't. But I can't focus on that. Not and do my job. If I start worrying about the end results before I even start, I'll be the one screwing something up, missing a step that doesn't help in getting them behind bars. That's why there's a process, Lucifer. And why I get so mad when you just skip over them. Sure, your way is probably faster, but your way is how they slip out of serving any time."

He took a slow sip of his drink, considering that. "Doesn't it frustrate you, though? Even if you do all your little steps and dot your Is and cross your Ts, you still can't guarantee that they get what they have coming to them. Not while they're alive, anyway." 

"Of course it does. I'm not a frickin' robot. There's nothing more frustrating than doing all the things right, finding who did it, catching them and seeing them go to court, and they still get off on a technicality. Or worse, their sentence is laughable. Murderers shouldn't have better living conditions than the lower class." And it happened enough that yes, it was a sore spot. Some rich jerk with connections could do something horrendous and get off with a slap on the wrist and time served. Or a minimal sentence that was in what was essentially a damn vacation spot with light security.

He watched her face when she spoke, saw the way it changed as each emotion flickered over it. What was it about her that was so different? Why was she not susceptible to an ability that was as innate to him as breathing? Quite literally, _everyone_ else was. What was it about her that granted her that immunity? And why was he fascinated instead of annoyed? He swallowed another sip, waving his hand in a motion over the folders. "Clearly it was a crime of passion. There's nothing methodical about it." 

She sat a little straighter when he started to actually give input into the case and not picking at her life. He'd been right when he'd said before that he saw things that others didn't. He saw things from the angle of the people doing the crimes, something she couldn't always twist herself to be able to figure out. It should bother her that he could so easily step into the mind of a killer or psychopath, but for all that he was infuriating and oftentimes unpredictable, she'd found herself going from ruing seeing him in her vicinity to actively seeking him out for help. Maybe she needed to actually have a partner to work with, but after the Palmetto case, she'd been persona non grata, and that stigma still hadn't faded, no matter that Malcolm himself seemed to 'forgive' her. Not that she believed it. There was something off about him, had been from the start, and she didn't know what his game was, but like hell was she falling for it.

They started to discuss the case, stopping only when their meal arrived. While Lucifer didn't seem to have a problem discussing death and dismemberment over red meat, Chloe had enough awareness to realize that they'd been getting nasty looks for the last little while over their topic, resigning herself to tucking the folder away and settling in to eat. There was a low sound of approval from her as she started, looking up at him as he took a bite of his ridiculously rare steak. "Not bad. Guess if it's going to cost a hundred bucks a plate, they actually take the time to make it edible. Still, we could have done this over burgers or tacos. Cheaper and more easily done at your place." 

While he knew that she meant in terms of being able to discuss the case freely, he had to smile at the thought of her casually offering to tuck in for something to eat at his place. "I'll remember that for next time. Though, I think I like the attire of dining out. Blue suits you nicely." He grinned before finishing another bite, watching her look up at him with that suspicion in her gaze. 

"I didn't dress up for you, Lucifer. I dressed up so I wouldn't get kicked out of this place." Never mind that she'd stood in front of her mirror for half an hour making sure that she'd looked decent. Or tried on six different dresses, trying to figure out which message she wanted to send. She'd settled on the blue, mostly because it was the one she'd been wearing when she realized if she didn't get her ass in gear, she'd be late. So what if it was a little shorter than the others? That didn't mean anything. 

"If you say so. I'm still going to enjoy the benefits of discussing business in a location that requires a dress code." It was on the tip of his tongue to say something along the lines of changing the dress code at his place to 'no clothes upon admission', but she still had those shoes on and he was finding certain things to be more pain than they were worth. Like stubbing his toe. The conversation circled around as they ate, the case tabled for now while they ate and Chloe tried to keep him from changing the topic to her sex life, or lack thereof. 

The restaurant was one of those that had an in-house musician, tonight's being a violinist. And as he came out and started to play softly, weaving between the tables, Chloe barely noticed him -- until the weaving seemed to be heading their way. Lucifer seemed oblivious to it apart from a slight curve of his lips in the corner and she proceeded to glower at him as the musician stood alongside their table and played with an almost saccharine expression. She chewed slowly, eyes pinning him to his seat. Lesser men had broken from that look. Lucifer looked up at her, smiling wider before reaching for the bottle of wine. "Top you up? I quite like this vintage. It's tart and sweet, much like someone I know." 

Her eyes narrowed, fork set down on the plate as she sat back in her chair. "What are you doing?"

"Offering you more wine. I thought that was rather obvious." He gave her that look he often gave when he was insinuating she was a bit off, dulled only minutely by the faint smile.

"This seems an awful lot like a date, Lucifer."

"Does it?" If he could flutter his lashes, he would, but he was left with giving her a wide-eyed look of feigned innocence.

She wasn't falling for it. "Are you kidding me right now? You tricked me into a date?" 

"Hardly. _You_ called _me_ , if you recall. I merely felt like enjoying something to eat while we pecked over a gory murder scene."

"We could have done that at your place. Over pizza. Or whatever froo-froo thing you wanted to have ordered in."

He gave her a half shrug in answer. "I could have, but I didn't. Is it a crime to want to see a lovely woman dressed up?"

She made a sound that was dangerously close to a growl, arms folding over her chest. "It _is_ a date."

"Would that be the end of the world?" There was a tightness to his voice he hadn't intended to show. She confused him. Vexed him. Tangled him up with questions and uncertainties. He'd never been unsure of himself until she'd waltzed into his life. He'd never voice it, never admit it to anyone, especially himself, but she oftentimes made him wonder if he was good enough. Not good in the biblical sense; he was well aware of his standing there, but good enough for _her_. For whatever it was they had. Friendship, Linda would call it, but if what Father Frank had been to him was a friend, then he couldn't claim the same for Chloe. He hadn't felt like getting into the Padre's pants, nor had he tried to change anything about himself for his approval. Yet lately, he'd found himself wondering what she'd think about any given thing he was involved with. It was annoying, and if he was going to suffer with her on his mind, then he was going to share the frustration, enjoy what he could of it. And arranging for her to meet him at a nice restaurant in something pretty would suffice. For now.

"People generally _ask_ someone if they want to go on a date with them. They don't trick them into it, Lucifer." Sometimes she felt like he needed some kind of handbook for how to actually deal with people. But then again, she'd seen the way people, especially women, reacted to him. Maybe it really was that easy for him. Which made her ask herself why he'd fixated on her. 

His eyes lifted to hers from where he'd been watching his fingers toying with the stem of the wineglass. "And here I thought you were a Detective. I was hardly subtle about it." 

She opened her mouth to answer, snapping it shut with a huff as she actually thought about it. He wasn't wrong. Hell, she'd spent the evening getting ready for this like it was a date. She'd even had those pre-date jitters, laughing it off since it was 'just Lucifer'. She reached for her wine instead, sipping it to give herself time to come up with something to say. "Why?" That hadn't been what she'd been expecting to say.

It also hadn't been what he'd been expecting to hear. He licked his lips, another shrug of one shoulder before his hand started to gesture. "Why not? Isn't that what people do? Get to know one another, find friendly terms, and enjoy each other's company outside of work?"

"Lucifer... It's more complicated than that." She sounded almost sympathetic as she spoke, like she realized that he was trying, in his own way. "Dan and I--"

"Detective Douche doesn't deserve you." Snapped out before he could stop himself, a frown creasing between his brows as his eyes dropped back to his fingers tapping at the table. 

Her mouth closed again, eyes a bit wide at that. The next sip was larger, Chloe feeling like she needed something to brace herself for whatever this was. Dealing with Lucifer was always a bit of a balancing act, but she was a little off her game at the moment, not really having expected this. The violinist finished his song, smiling at Lucifer who gave him a tight one in return before waving him away. "He's Trixie's father." 

"And that gives him what rights over you, Detective? Funny how he was happy to be on your bad side until I met you." Ah, there it was. Jealousy. Dull and gnawing, he found he didn't like it at all. The Devil didn't get jealous. He could claim that as often as he liked, yet here he was... 

"It's complicated." 

He huffed, raising his eyes to hers again. "Only because you're making it that way. It could be the easiest thing in the world, but I swear, sometimes I think your kind _enjoys_ taking the most simple of things and turning it into a gamut. Tell me this, Detective; up until you actually realized what my plans were, were you enjoying yourself?"

"Yes, but--" She cut herself off, frowning. He was right. Up until she'd figured out it was a date, she'd been having an okay time. The food was good, she hadn't minded dressing up at all, and sometimes, when he wasn't trying so hard, Lucifer could be actually fun to be around. She finished what was in her glass, setting it down carefully. "You're right. I'm sorry."

It was his turn to be at a loss for words, fingers still tapping as he tried to figure out what to say that wouldn't wind up in her leaving. He started with a smile, a little short around the corners, but a smile nonetheless. "Accepted. Since everything is on the table, so to speak, is there room for dessert? They've a delicious torte here that I think you'd enjoy." He reached for the bottle, refilling her glass halfway before adding more to his. He did better with alcohol. The numbness it provided made the awkwardness he felt around her feel less noticeable. At least it did to him. 

"I'll share one with you." Not even something she had to stretch to consider. She'd drank from his glass before, something that when she actually thought about it was a signal of its own. As she reached for her glass, she thought back on her moments with him. Sure, some of them had been friendly in a platonic sense, but some of them had been pretty borderline. Considering how unfamiliar Lucifer might be to that concept, she could understand how he might have seen it for something else. So... why wasn't she more bothered by it? If anyone else had herded her into a date, she'dve been pissed. Instead, she felt vaguely flattered. Still a little annoyed, yes, but compared to what she'd seen Lucifer do with others, this was downright polite. "I can't stay out late. I have a sitter for Trixie."

Again, he was surprised. She'd found out his nefarious ploy and was going along with it. There was an uptick at the corner of his mouth as he gave a small nod, gesturing for the waiting server to come clear their plates and place an order for dessert. "I suppose that means dancing's out."

She rolled her eyes, trying not to smile and failing. She hid it behind her glass. "Yes, Lucifer, dancing's out. We'll finish up here and then I'm heading home." She almost added to it, almost said that if she'd known it was a date, she would have made sure the sitter could have stayed later, but she had a feeling that would just open up the gates for a relentless pursuit. Not that he didn't seem to be actively trying anyway. He'd just switched tactics. From outright telling her they'd sleep together because that was what he wanted and offering himself like a naked buffet (which she refused to acknowledge had been tempting and hard to tear her eyes away from), to sneaky dates and an attempt at behaving himself. It wasn't like she didn't see the appeal, but it was that cocky 'I can have whoever I want' attitude that had turned her off at first. It wasn't until she'd spent time with him that she realized he was that way because aside from her, it seemed he _could_ have whoever he wanted. It made his behavior make more sense. Even a child will be surprised to hear a no for the first time. Seemed she was his first -- just not the way he might want., though, she had to wonder if he had any firsts left in that department. Probably not.

"If you insist. The offer's open. Perhaps another night...?" He looked away as he said that, not realizing until he had that he'd added a hopeful lilt at the end of it, as if it was a question instead of just a statement.

For her part, she chose not to answer, and not because the answer was no. Because she wasn't sure if it would be and maybe a part of her didn't want to hurt him. Okay, more than a part of her didn't want to hurt him, but it was more than that. He was trying. It didn't take deductive skills to see that. He was changing certain things about himself to try to appeal to her and she'd noticed. It didn't hurt that there was a very small (not so small) part of her that was flattered that someone who could and often did have anyone who caught his eye was so fixated on her. She knew it was likely mostly just the challenging aspect of it and that he might very well get bored, like he seemed to assume he would if she ever did give in, but that didn't stop the little thrill that skipped up her spine when she saw him looking at her like he was wondering what she tasted like. So instead of an outright no, or any _real_ answer, she hummed something that wasn't a negative or positive, sipping at her wine instead and looking at him over the edge of her glass.

Lucifer merely smiled congenially back at her, like she'd acceded to something she hadn't, but to be fair, she'd sort of expected that from him. Even an outright no, which she'd said multiple times, hadn't dissuaded him. As far as he was concerned, tonight was a win in his book. Not only had he finagled her into going on a date with him, but when she'd found out, she hadn't given him a black eye and stormed out. He found himself hopeful over that, perhaps more than he should be, but it was more than he'd gotten from her in the past. Give the Devil an inch and he'll... well, do whatever the hell he wanted with it. Their dessert arrived and he gestured for her to take the first bite, finding a strange sort of enjoyment in seeing the look of pleasure flit over her face from it. It made his mind wander over what other looks he could get from her, given the right setting. They finished the plate in a companionable silence, the mood lighter now that the truth was out. He was, of course, planning on how to get a second date out of her, one with her knowing about it beforehand. Perhaps he should just come out and ask, but he'd been told 'no' by her so many times, he'd found the adage of 'better to ask forgiveness than permission' to work well for him when it came to her. Still, getting her permission was all part of the challenge and he knew he'd be up later mulling it over.

There was no bill as this was part of the favor he'd agreed to with the owner and they made their way out to where they both had tickets for the valet to sort out. "I suppose this is where the evening draws to a close," he said, watching her hand the young man her ticket first, turning to face him with her hands holding her arms as she seemed to assess him. 

"Looks like." And here came the part where she wasn't sure about. She didn't want to encourage him, but she could tell by the glint in his eye that he was encouraged enough. She let her head roll back on her shoulders, working out the kinks from sitting for so long before she looked back at him. "I don't want you to do this again, Lucifer. Don't sneak a date out of me. That's not how this is going to work." 

He straightened his jacket in that fidgety way he had, one hand clasping the other in front of him as he faced her. "You could make things a lot easier on both of us if you'd just agree to go on one in the first place." He mentally smacked himself as soon as he'd said it, lips pressing as he looked away for a moment before he gave her a small almost apologetic smile. "It's not as if it was torture for you, Detective. Deny it all you want, I know you enjoyed it."

She nodded, squeezing her arms as she did. "You're right. I did. It's been a while since I've been able to go out and just... it's been a while. But I don't like being tricked into it. Try asking me next time." _Oh god, what am I doing,_ she thought, knowing that she'd basically just waved the red flag in front of a raging bull. A charming and good looking raging bull, one she wasn't trying to sidestep as quickly.

Both of his brows lifted in surprise, a smile melting over his face like something sweet and wicked all in one. 'Next time', she'd said. Well, that just gave him something to look forward to. He had a feeling she expected him to jump on that opening like a shark scenting blood, but he had other plans for his Detective. Her car pulled up, the valet coming around and accepting the tip Lucifer held for him, taking Lucifer's ticket to go get his corvette. Hand at her back, he led her to the open driver's door, holding a hand out for hers. It was all done so fluidly, she found herself slipping her hand into his by the side of her car. He lifted it to his lips, watching her as he did. The kiss across the backs of her knuckles was a ghost of one, almost a tease of what he'd otherwise do. His thumb grazed over the spot as he held her door open for her. "I expect I'll see you tomorrow to finish up the case?"

She felt a shiver race from where his lips threatened to touch all the way up her arm and down into the pit of her stomach. Oh boy, that look had her mouth feeling a little dry. But she gathered her thoughts, nodding and clearing her throat. "Right, yeah. Meet at the precinct?"

"I'll be there with bells on."

As far as she knew, he might very well do that and now she knew that she'd be listening for the faint chiming of tiny bells when she saw him tomorrow. The thought had her pursing her lips to keep from smiling, taking her hand back and moving to slip into the driver's seat. "Good. Then at least I'll know where you are and you can stop sneaking up on me."

His smile widened, the cheek of him shining through as he nodded, hand on her door. "Oh, and Detective?"

She paused with her hand on the door, getting ready to close it, looking up at him expectantly.

"Next time will be soon." There was a promise to the words, giving them a weight that matched the sudden flare of heat in his gaze.

She felt the bottom drop out of her stomach, breath catching for a moment, fingers gripping the door tighter than they should. Licking her lips, she tried to pretend she hadn't felt a wash of something that might be arousal at the thought, at the way he looked at her. She didn't know what to say other than _'It better be'_ , so she kept her tongue to herself, shut her mouth, then the door, settling into the cocoon of her car and hoping her cheeks weren't as red as they felt. A flick of her eyes up to the rear-view mirror showed they were and she let out a frustrated huff before she started to drive off. 

Lucifer smiled brightly, bouncing on his toes with his good mood, turning to look as his car pulled up into the spot vacated by Chloe's. The valet got out and held the door for him, receiving another fifty as Lucifer slid into the leather seat. The door was closed with a perfunctory click and he let the engine roar before he pulled out a little too fast. He was headed for the Lux, in the mood for a bit of a celebration at what he considered a win. Later on that evening, he'd start working on the best way to make sure that when he asked her, she'd say yes, but for now? The Devil was due a little fun.


End file.
